"The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you, and that you’re standing in the doorway"
- The Mountain Goats
According to an article on Wired, Facebook has debuted Facebook Connect, a one-stop sign-in for social networking and interaction sites including Facebook, Digg, and Vimeo that could give OpenID a run for its money.
So what’s the big deal? Like so many other things with Facebook, it’s not as innocent as it seems.
By making a deal with these connectors–several of which include US universities–Facebook is able to gather even more data than you willfully give it every time you log in and “Become a fan” of things. Think those targeted ads are eerily personal now? Just wait a few months.
The other thing to consider is that, with this deal, Facebook has sole access to the user information you generate when you digg something or upload on Vimeo when you connect this way. On one hand, it might be comforting to know everyone who has access to your data. On the other hand, you’re still basically handing your identity over to a computer application. Even if it is Facebook. OpenID lovers preach the ideal that this sort of login belongs on the browser, not on the web. On the browser, the user may have more control over where the information goes.
The article by Michael Calore can be found here: Facebook Connect Is Now Generally Available. Let the Identity Wars Begin.
